JP7220678B2 - Method and system for providing high-level operations on blockchain - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to distributed ledger technology, and more particularly to blockchain technology such as the Bitcoin blockchain or any other blockchain/cryptocurrency protocol variant. The present invention is intended, without limitation, in controlling the manner in which scripts within a blockchain transaction (Tx) are configured for execution, thus controlling or otherwise transferring control or ownership of a digital resource through the blockchain network. suitable for use in controlling the way

The term "blockchain" is used herein to include all forms of electronic, computer-based, distributed ledger technology. These include consensus-based blockchain and transaction chain technologies, permissioned and unpermissioned ledgers, shared ledgers, sidechains, and variants thereof. The most widely known application of blockchain technology is the Bitcoin ledger, but other blockchain implementations have been proposed and developed. Although Bitcoin is referred to herein for convenience and descriptive purposes, the invention is not limited to use with blockchain variants of Bitcoin, and alternative blockchain implementations and protocols are within the scope of the invention. It should be noted that

A blockchain is a peer-to-peer electronic ledger implemented as a decentralized, computer-based, distributed system composed of blocks. Also, a block is composed of transactions. Each transaction is a data structure that encodes the transfer of control of a digital asset between participants within a blockchain system and includes at least one input and at least one output. Each block contains the hash of the previous block, and the blocks chain together to create a permanent, immutable record of all transactions written to the blockchain since its inception. A transaction contains a small program known as a script embedded in its inputs and outputs. Scripts specify how and by whom the output of a transaction can be accessed. On the Bitcoin platform, these scripts are written using a stack-based scripting language called Script.

In order for a transaction to be written to the blockchain, it must be "verified". Network nodes (miners) perform work to ensure that each transaction is valid, and invalid transactions are rejected from the network. A software client installed on a node performs this verification task on unspent transactions (UTXOs) by executing its own lock and unlock scripts. If the execution of the lock and unlock scripts evaluates to true, the transaction is valid and the transaction is written to the blockchain. Therefore, in order for a transaction to be written to the blockchain, the transaction must: i) be verified by the first node that received the transaction, and if the transaction is verified, the node will relay the transaction to other nodes in the network; ii) added to new blocks built by miners, and iii) mined, i.e. added to the public ledger of past transactions.

Blockchain technology is most widely known for its use in cryptocurrency implementations, but digital entrepreneurs are looking to implement new systems, both Bitcoin-based cryptocurrency security systems, and data that can be stored on blockchains. are beginning to explore the use of It would be very advantageous if blockchains could be used for automated tasks and processes that are not limited to the realm of cryptocurrencies, thus broadening the applicability of technologies implemented in blockchains. Such solutions can take advantage of blockchains (e.g., permanent, tamper-resistant records of events, decentralized processes, etc.) while being more diverse in their applications.

However, in order to improve the functionality of such technology, several technical limitations that currently exist need to be overcome. In one or more Bitcoin protocols, for example, certain operators may not be available to the programmer when the programmer's program is written in Script. Security-related concerns have caused some of the Script opcodes provided in the original version of the protocol to be overridden by the Bitcoin community. These include operators for performing certain arithmetic operations such as multiplication and division. Therefore, currently in some protocols there is no intrinsic mechanism to perform such operations within Script, which poses a constraint on what script code can currently accomplish. Scripts containing invalid opcodes will fail and abort. This poses limitations on the functionality of technologies implemented in underlying blockchain protocols and the like. There are technical challenges that arise when the desired implementation needs to use functionality not provided in the underlying protocol. Protocol changes may not always be desirable or feasible. On the one hand, such blockchain platforms remain functionally constrained.

Therefore, while maintaining the desire to preserve the security and integrity of blockchain scripting languages, there is also a need to provide solutions that give script programmers greater programming power and improve language diversity, availability and applicability. Such solutions could provide improved blockchain networks. A number of benefits can be derived from this, including but not limited to the following.

・Enables automation of complex blockchain-related transfers,
・Control the metadata stream recorded on the blockchain,
・Expand the functions and uses of technologies implemented in blockchains.

An example of such a solution is provided here.

According to the present invention there is provided a system and/or method as defined in the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a blockchain implemented method/system. The present invention may be a control method/system. This can be used to control the execution of scripts embedded in blockchain transactions (Tx) and/or whether outputs are unlocked and/or the transfer of resources from one entity to another by a transaction. may be configured to control the

Blockchain may be associated with protocols and scripting languages. The scripting language may be a stack-based language. Scripting languages may be functionally constrained in the sense that scripting languages do not allow complex control flow mechanisms such as loop and/or jump iterations. This may be the Bitcoin scripting language, Script, or alternative.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide mechanisms to emulate or implement the functionality of operations within blockchain scripts. The operations may be operations that are not natively supported by the scripting language associated with the blockchain protocol. This may be an invalid operation. This may be referred to as high level computation. This may be high level relative to the word set of the blockchain scripting language (opcodes, commands, instructions or functions). High-level operations may be native primitive operations or operations that work at a level of abstraction removed from the native opcodes of the language. High-level operations may be arithmetic operations such as multiplication and division. The advantage of this is that the invention can be used to write scripts that incorporate this functionality in a convenient way without the need to change the scripting language or blockchain protocol. Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved blockchain system, enabling more functionally complex, more functionally diverse applications to run on the blockchain, and making application programming easier with reduced errors. achievable quickly and easily. The result, therefore, is a more diverse, functionally powerful and useful blockchain. On the one hand, the present invention makes it possible to build more blockchain-implemented technology.

Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises configuring a plurality of (blockchain) scripting language primitives to provide the functionality of high-level scripting language primitives when executed, said scripting language being a blockchain inserting said plurality of scripting language primitives at least once into a script; and/or inserting said script into a blockchain transaction (Tx). good.

Additionally or alternatively, a method according to the invention comprises the steps of: storing a plurality of blockchain opcodes (primitives) configured and/or selected to perform functions of high-level scripting language operators; and inserting the plurality of opcodes into a script in a blockchain transaction.

The plurality of opcodes may be described as a "chunk".

The method may include evaluating the transaction and/or submitting the transaction to the blockchain network. The method may include executing the transaction.

Each of the plurality of scripting language primitives may also be known as words, commands, or functions. These may be referred to as "high level primitives". For convenience, the term "opcode" is used for "scripting language primitives". One, some, or all of the opcodes may be selected from a scripting language word or instruction set. They may be scripting language specific.

High-level scripting language primitives may be groups or selections of composed opcodes. They may be intentionally configured to provide the desired abstracted functionality. This may be referred to as a "high level primitive" for ease of reference. High-level primitives may perform arithmetic operations or data copying, logic or program (flow) control operations. This may produce results that are left in memory on the computer's stack. High-level primitives may emulate or provide functionality of opcodes that are not included in the language's native word set or are overridden. High-level primitives may be "high-level" in the sense that they can be decomposed into more elementary or elementary operations that perform language-specific and/or functionally simpler operations. High-level primitives, which are a higher level of abstraction than opcodes, may be constructed to perform a single operation or produce a result.

The scripting language may be the Script language. The blockchain protocol may be the Bitcoin protocol. However, other languages and protocols may be included within the scope of the invention. A scripting language may be functionally constrained. The term "non-Turing complete" is sometimes used herein synonymously with the term "functionally constrained." A language may be functionally constrained in the sense that the language does not natively support one or more control flow mechanisms such as loop and/or jump iterations.

The method may further comprise selecting one, some, or all of the plurality of scripting language primitives from a word set or instruction set of the scripting language.

The method may further comprise saving and/or storing the plurality of scripting language primitives in a computer-based storage resource. This may be non-volatile computer memory. The method may further include retrieving the plurality of scripting language primitives from a computer-based storage resource prior to inserting the plurality of scripting language primitives into the script.

The script may be an unlock script, a lock script, or a Redeem script.

A script is inserted into a blockchain transaction (Tx) associated with the input or output of the blockchain transaction.

The method may further include receiving input or signals from a source and using the inputs or signals to control the number of times the plurality of scripting language primitives are inserted into a script.

The method may further comprise submitting the transaction to a blockchain network.

The plurality of scripting language primitives are inserted into a template script and/or a template transaction (Tx). The template may be an incomplete version of the script/transaction.

The invention also provides a computer-implemented system. The system may be configured to perform any embodiment of the method described above. Any feature described in relation to one or more aspects of the invention may be applicable to any other aspect. Any feature described in relation to the method may also be applicable to the corresponding system, and vice versa.

The present invention provides a system comprising: a processor; a memory containing executable instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the system to perform any of the embodiments of the computer-implemented methods described herein; We also provide a system that includes

The present invention is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing executable instructions that, as a result of being executed by a processor of a computer system, are stored in the computer system by a computer described herein. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is also provided that causes at least the embodiments of the implemented method to be performed.

These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and are taught with reference to the embodiments described herein. Embodiments of the invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It shows how transactions can be chained together on a blockchain to transfer ownership control of a cryptocurrency from anything, as it is traditionally known. Fig. 3 shows a control transaction suitable for use in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and associated with an illustrative use case; 1 illustrates an exemplary network associated with a blockchain;

The present invention enables the functionality of high-level operations in blockchain scripts even when the scripting language of the blockchain's associated protocol does not provide unique opcodes for such operations or they are disabled. Provides an improved mechanism to implement. The present invention takes advantage of the language's existing low-level opcode choices and combines them in novel ways to achieve the desired functionality. Selected combinations of primitive opcodes are selected and/or configured to provide desired high-level functions. A combination of selected unique opcodes may be referred to as a "high-level operator" for convenience and ease of reference. Thus, the term "high-level" may be used to mean that operations can be decomposed into more basic or elementary operations that are preferably specific to the scripting language. Multiple opcodes or chunks of opcodes may be associated with labels or identifiers for ease of reference, use, or incorporation.

The code portions that make up the high-level operators may be predetermined or pre-selected. "Previously" in this context may mean prior to the final use or application in which the code portion is finally placed. Additionally or alternatively, this may mean before execution or execution time. Code portions (or "chucks") are stored in computer-based resources such as non-volatile memory. When a script is needed for a given purpose, the stored opcodes are accessed, copied, and scripted at one or more selected locations to provide the desired control and functionality at runtime. can be inserted into A script with inserted high-level operators may be a template accessed from a storage device. Thus, functionally complex blockchain transactions can be conveniently and instantly generated, saving programming time, effort, and reducing the possibility of coding errors. By reducing the possibility of errors, the present invention provides a mechanism to ensure the quality of code used for blockchain transactions. This also reduces the number of script (and thus transaction) failures during execution. In this sense, the present invention provides a more efficient and Provide a reduced error solution.

During execution, one or more signals or inputs can be received from a source, and the inputs can be used to affect or control the number of times high-level operators are used within the script. In certain embodiments, the input is received from sensors. Thus, scripts can be generated such that results are calculated in response to some external or environmental factor.

Another advantage is that the design, implementation, or evolution of existing scripting languages does not need to be modified or changed in any way. Functionality of invalid or unimplemented primitive operators can be easily and undisturbed provided to the blockchain protocol in its current form.

Hereafter we present a solution according to embodiments of the present invention that allows emulation of high-level multiplication and division operators. These embodiments include Script-based sequences of operations that provide the desired functionality and behavior of the operators. This operator provides a mechanism to control how the program implemented by the blockchain executes. When these programs are embedded in the inputs and outputs of blockchain transactions (Tx), they therefore transfer control over how the transaction is performed and thus ownership of the cryptocurrency from party to party. or provide a mechanism to influence and control it.

<Example: Multiplication>
In this embodiment, we provide a mechanism for multiplication within the blockchain script. This takes advantage of the knowledge that multiplication takes X and Y by the value you want to multiply. When described in Script language syntax, the multiplication operator is as follows.

The result of doing the above is that the product is left on the Alt stack.

In the code above, the purpose of the start segment is to swap the operands as necessary to ensure that fewer additions need to be performed. For example, it becomes 3×2 so that 2×3 requires fewer additions. This reduces effort and makes the overall code more efficient in terms of time and complexity. The "exchange (swap)" segment is as follows.

The purpose of the code below is to provide a counter mechanism.

The value of the counter can be used to control the number of times the addition is performed.

In the example above, the code shown within the dashed box is the code for performing the addition. The addition is repeated as shown in the dashed box that follows. For simplicity and readability the content is not repeated. The OP_EQUAL operation at the end of the addition code is used to check if the addition has been performed enough times.

The code shown within the double-lined box performs the role of "cleaning up" the stack and returning the result.

<Operation example: Multiplication>
To further illustrate the technique, we provide a working example with two operands, 2 and 3, below. In the example below, the states of the main stack and the Alt stack are shown. The left column is the main stack and the right column is the Alt stack.

This leaves the state of the stack as follows (note: duplication is not shown here for simplicity and clarity).

Then, if the top stack item is false, execute the "body" of code using:

Using the OP_ROT operation rotates the top three items to the left.

<Example: Division>
In this second example, we perform division instead of multiplication, using the knowledge that division can be performed by repeating subtraction. We provide a Script-based operation sequence that emulates the behavior of the division operator. Let X and Y be the values you want to divide by. When described in Script language syntax, the division operator is as follows.

The output above is to the left of the Alt stack.

<Operation example: Division>
In this working example, we divide 11 by 3.

<Second Operation Example: Division>
In this second working example, we show how the solution handles division by zero. Division by zero can be a source of coding errors in computational implementations because finite machines do not have the ability to represent infinity. In this example, we proceed through division of 3 by 0.

<Third Operation Example: Division>
In a third working example, we proceed through the division of zero by three.

<Use example for explanation Control system implemented by blockchain>
The present invention provides techniques for implementing high-level operations within blockchain scripts, even when the language of the protocol does not contain the desired low-level opcodes. It offers a great variety of configurations for implementing solutions on blockchain platforms.

To illustrate this, we present here a system that combines multiple inputs to coordinate the operation of other devices. As an example, we assume two sensors providing the following inputs.
(i) the number of tank containers on board, n;
(ii) Assume that the weight of the container w is exactly the same as the weight of the container w.

The device, which in this simple example is a cargo ship, can have two states:
(i) a cargo ship is at the wharf (state ₁ ),
(ii) cargo ship leaves port (state ₂ ); Initially, the system is in state ₁ .

We define a threshold condition W _t . The total weight W carried by the freighter controls its movement.

• If W> _Wt , the system is in state ₂ ;

Figure 2 shows a control transaction (Tx) submitted to the blockchain. Opcode Pro_MULT represents the high-level arithmetic operation (X) described above. The sensor provides the values n and w to the unlock script. The corresponding unlock script that needs to be presented to the lock script is therefore:

<Blockchain network>
Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 illustrates in block diagram form an exemplary network associated with a blockchain. The network may be referred to herein as blockchain network 100 and may be utilized for implementation of the present invention. Blockchain network 100 is a peer-to-peer open membership network that anyone can join without invitation or approval from other members. Blockchain network 100 operates under a blockchain protocol, and distributed electronic devices running instances of the blockchain protocol may participate in blockchain network 100 . Such distributed electronic devices may be referred to as nodes 102 . A blockchain protocol may be, for example, the Bitcoin protocol, or another cryptocurrency.

Electronic devices running blockchain protocols and forming nodes 102 of blockchain network 100 may be, for example, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, computers such as servers, mobile devices such as smartphones, smart watches. It may be of various types, including wearable computers, or other electronic devices.

Nodes 102 of blockchain network 100 are coupled together using suitable communication technologies, which may include wired and wireless communication technologies. In many cases, blockchain network 100 is implemented at least partially over the Internet, and some of nodes 102 may be located in geographically discrete locations.

Node 102 maintains a global ledger of all transactions on the blockchain. The transactions are grouped into blocks, each block containing the hash of the previous block in the chain. A global ledger is a distributed ledger and each node 102 may store a full or partial copy of the global ledger. Transactions by nodes 102 that affect the global ledger are validated by other nodes 102 . As a result, the validity of the global ledger is maintained. The details of implementation and operation of blockchain networks, such as using the Bitcoin protocol, are understood by those skilled in the art.

Each transaction typically has one or more inputs and one or more outputs. Scripts embedded in inputs and outputs specify how and by whom a transaction's outputs can be accessed. The output of a transaction may be the address to which value is transferred as a result of the transaction. A value is then associated with that output address as an unspent transaction output (UTXO). Subsequent transactions may then reference the address as input to use or distribute the value.

Nodes 102 can fulfill many different functions, from network routing to wallet services, and maintain a robust and secure distributed public ledger. “Full nodes” have a complete, up-to-date copy of the blockchain and can therefore validate any transaction (spent or unused) on the public ledger. “Lightweight nodes” (or SPVs) maintain a subset of the blockchain and can validate transactions using “simple payment verification” technology. Lightweight nodes download only the block headers, not the transactions within each block. These nodes are therefore dependent on peers to validate their transactions. A “mining node” is a full or lightweight node responsible for verifying transactions on the blockchain and generating new blocks. A "wallet node" is typically a lightweight node that handles user wallet services. Nodes 102 communicate with each other using a connection-oriented protocol such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol).

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments do not limit the invention, and those skilled in the art can devise numerous alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The term 'comprising' or 'comprises' or the like does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in any claim and in the specification as a whole. As used herein, "comprises" means "includes or consists of" and "comprising" means "including or consists of" ” means. Reference to an element in the singular does not exclude the presence of a plurality of said element and vice versa. The invention can be implemented by hardware comprising a plurality of separate elements or by a suitably programmed computer. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The fact that certain quantities are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these quantities cannot be used to advantage.

Claims (16)

A method implemented on a blockchain, comprising:
configuring a plurality of scripting language primitives to provide the functionality of high-level scripting language primitives when executed, said scripting language being associated with a blockchain protocol;
receiving an input or signal from a source, said input or signal being received from a sensor;
inserting the plurality of scripting language primitives at least once into a script;
inserting the script into the blockchain transaction as an output script of a blockchain transaction (Tx ), wherein the output script corresponds to an output of the transaction, and using the output includes the sensor a step requiring the signature of
method including. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the high-level scripting language primitives perform arithmetic operations. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said scripting language is the Script language and/or said blockchain protocol is the Bitcoin protocol. 4. The method of any of claims 1-3, further comprising selecting the plurality of scripting language primitives from the scripting language word set or instruction set. 5. The method of any of claims 1-4, further comprising saving and/or storing the plurality of scripting language primitives in a computer-based storage resource. 6. The method of any of claims 1-5, further comprising, prior to inserting the plurality of scripting language primitives into the script, retrieving the plurality of scripting language primitives from a computer-based storage resource. 7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said script is an unlock script, a lock script or a Redeem script. 8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said script is inserted into said transaction in relation to an input or output of said blockchain transaction. 9. The method of any of claims 1-8, further comprising receiving input or signals from a source and using said inputs or signals to control the number of times said plurality of scripting language primitives are inserted into a script. Method. 10. The method of any of claims 1-9, further comprising submitting the transaction to a blockchain network. 11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said plurality of scripting language primitives are inserted into a template script and/or a template transaction (Tx). 12. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said plurality of scripting language primitives are associated with labels or identifiers. 13. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the scripting language is functionally constrained. A computer-implemented system configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-13. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, configure a processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13. an electronic device,
an interface device;
a processor coupled to the interface device;
A memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed, configure the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13. memory and
electronic devices, including

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